Seeds of Discord
by Jen Kollic
Summary: Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. Until something went wrong...
1. Part 1:  Seeds

**Seeds of Discord**

**Disclaimers:** Everything belongs to Hasbro/Lauren Faust.

**Notes:** Would you believe this whole thing stems from a 'Cupcakes' sequel I wanted to write? Lucky for, well, everyone involved, it transformed itself into a 'how Luna became Nightmare Moon' story instead. Because I think Discord was definitely involved, if not entirely to blame.

Also, I have written this without a beta because my usual betas are either not interested in MLP, or have not seen the first episodes of Season 2, and I don't want to spoil Discord for them. So apologies for any excessive comma splices or other mistakes that my spellchecker didn't find.

**Spoilers:** Spoilers for 'Return of Harmony' part 1 and 2

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><p><strong>Part 1 - Seeds<strong>

"You know Luna, we've never really had much chance to talk," Discord remarked casually, his voice slightly distorted by the magical aura containing him. Given that he'd spent the last hour futilely smashing himself against the walls of his prison and raging at her, Luna found the sudden calmness of his voice more than a little unsettling.

"_Whatever he says, don't listen." Celestia told her. "You know what he's like, a liar and a trickster, he'll say anything to try and get you to release him."_

"_I won't sister, I promise." Luna replied. "He can't fool me."_

So Luna said nothing, only glaring at the draconequus as he floated within the orb of coloured light that held him prisoner. The rainbow tones of the Elements of Harmony shifted and whirled across its surface, shot through with strands of bright gold and silver, sunlight and moonlight. Luna could still feel the power of the Elements pulsing through her as they orbited the sphere of light and she hoped that Celestia was right, that she could use their power to reverse the unbridled chaos that Discord had spread across Equestria when the two sisters had risen against him.

As if in answer, Luna heard a distant, heavy thud, as if some unimaginable weight had dropped back to earth, feeling the ground shudder slightly beneath her hooves. She resisted the urge to go and look out of the castle window, keeping her gaze on the magical prison instead.

"Awww, sounds like your sister managed to land Manehattan." A bowl of peanuts had appeared in Discord's leonine paw, and he flipped one into his mouth before continuing. "And here I thought a floating city would be a great tourist attraction. Next, she'll be putting the trees and mountains the right way up again. Boring." Tipping the rest of the peanuts out, Discord watched in mild interest as they fell towards the ground, only to vanish in coloured puffs of smoke as they hit the bottom of the sphere containing him. With a shrug, he took a bite out of the bowl instead, crunching the fragments of pottery between his teeth with apparent relish. "And all of my subjects will be praising her name just like they do every morning. Must be nice. But I guess you wouldn't know about that, right Luna?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" The words came out before Luna could stop them. "Half the time you just hide the sun anyway, same with the moon," she continued awkwardly, then looked away, telling herself to ignore him."

"Ahhhh, but sometimes I don't," Discord replied, the half-eaten bowl vanishing as he lounged back in midair, looking down at the young alicorn with an expression that was almost benevolent. "Wouldn't exactly be chaotic if I did the same thing every day, would it? Some days I just let you and your sister do your thing and just kick back and watch. And listen. And let me tell you Luna, you're not the one my subjects look forward to seeing."

"You're lying." Again, Luna spoke before she could stop herself, glowering at Discord angrily. "We're supposed to rule together, Celestia always told me that. You're the one that ruins everything for everypony."

Wiping a nonexistent tear from his eye with one talon, Discord sighed theatrically. "Why is it that my genius is never appreciated? Sometimes I think you ponies just want every day to be the same. And as for ruling together..." Flipping himself upright, Discord moved as close to Luna as he could, his face pressed against the wall of light as the colours of the Elements danced in his eyes. "If you rule together little princess, then tell me why Celestia is the one out there righting all my so-called wrongs, while you're sitting here watching me."

Luna blinked, then shook her head as if trying to clear it. "Someone had to stay here and make sure you didn't get out again," she retorted. "And Celestia's better at fixing things than me," she added reluctantly.

"Good point," Discord chuckled."I'd forgotten how hilarious that little trick with the asteroids turned out after you tried stopping them. How long did it take you to put all the fires out? Or did big sister have to bail you out then as well?"

This time Luna said nothing, though she still remembered the way the flaming balls had split into dozens of fragments when she'd tried to destroy them. Celestia had helped her then, showing her how to deflect the asteroids instead of breaking them and sending them out to disintegrate harmlessly in space. Then she'd helped Luna summon rainclouds to extinguish the numerous ones that had landed on Equestria. And Celestia hadn't scolded her or lectured her; all she'd said was that Luna just needed to learn more, and that it wasn't her fault.

"But everypony that saw it knew you'd made the mistake, and that Celestia had to fix things for you, didn't they?" It was as if Discord had read her mind, and his smile only widened as he saw the shock in her eyes. "Just a lucky guess, princess. Or maybe I'm just saying what everypony was thinking."

Luna didn't reply, though she had to bite her lip to stop herself. Her silence didn't seem to bother Discord, who was rocking back and forth as he chuckled to himself. With a final cackle, the draconequus flipped himself upright once more, and immediately resumed the same avuncular expression he'd worn earlier, looking down at Luna like a fond mentor.

"_Whatever he says, don't listen." Celestia told her._

"Poor little Luna. It must be hard being Celestia's shadow. She gets all the glory; you get what's left over." Discord stroked his chin thoughtfully as he continued. "Well, I'm sure that bringing on the night is very important, everypony loves it so much that they sleep right through it..."

"Shut up!" Luna couldn't keep silent any longer, stamping one forefoot angrily as she glared at him. "You're a liar and you're just trying to trick me, I'm not Celestia's shadow!"

Surprisingly, the look Discord gave her was one of sympathy, or a very convincing facsimile. "Well, naturally she wouldn't want you thinking that, would she? I'm sure she tells you that you're just as important as she is, and that you rule together, and that the moon is just as important as the sun, etcetera etcetera and all that noise." Sighing, Discord shrugged in mock-helplessness. "And they say that I'm the liar."

"You are," Luna retorted. "Celestia would never lie to me. And the moon is just as important, that's true. Without it, the tides across Equestria would go crazy. I bet you'd like that just fine though."

"Well, you do have me there, little princess." Discord admitted, with a sardonic bow. "But ask yourself this, why is it that ponies use your sister's day for frolicking and playing and whatever else it is that ponies do when I don't have them doing something more interesting. Why don't they do any of that at night? I mean, have you ever heard of moonbathing? What about a mooncatcher? A moondeck? A moonhat?" There was a pause as the draconequus considered those ideas. "Actually those all sound kind of interesting; I should try them out sometime." Tilting his head to the side, he looked at Luna thoughtfully. "Tell you what, if you let me out, I can make it so that everypony appreciates the night just as much as the day. I can you know."

Luna's response was a sarcastic laugh. "Nice try Discord, Celestia warned me that you'd just say things to try and get me to let you go. Well I won't, no matter what you say." Nevertheless, even as she said it, the young alicorn still felt a stirring of unease. Even though Discord was a liar, he was right about ponies sleeping through her night. She'd never really considered that before.

Within his prison, Discord was sulking. He'd known that tricking Luna into letting him go was a long shot at best, but it had still been worth a try. "Fine then, you keep on pretending that you're just as important and magical as your sister. I'm sure everypony will be very impressed at how you sat here watching me while Celestia flew around fixing everything, kissing foals, and generally acting like the sun shines out her a- come to think of it, the sun probably DOES shine out her..."

"That's enough Discord." Luna's head jerked up at the sound of her sister's voice. Celestia moved up to stand beside her younger sister, fixing the draconequus with a hostile stare. "Now that we've put everything right, we can finally deal with you for good."

"My my Celestia, why so serious?" Now that the older alicorn had returned, Discord seemed to have forgotten all about Luna. "Really, if this is how grim you get over a little bit of harmless chaos, I have to wonder what you'd do if something worse came crawling out of the darkness. Because believe me, there's worse. But since you're so smart, I'll let you worry about that."

"Harmless chaos?" Celestia snapped furiously, not seeming to have paid any heed to the rest of Discord's words. "Do you know how many ponies could have been killed when you threw Manehattan into the sky? How many could have been crushed when you tore up the mountains? Do you even care?"

"Natural disasters kill ponies every day," Discord shrugged. "And given that my unnatural disasters have a much better safety record, I really don't see why you're bitching so much."

"And how long would it have been until you did start killing ponies?" Celestia demanded angrily. "As long as you're amused, you don't care what happens afterwards, for all I know you might just have dropped Manehattan on another city once you got bored..." Before she could finish, Discord interrupted her.

"That does sound amusing; remind me to try it once I get loose." Looking about himself, Discord stretched and cracked his knuckles. "This won't hold me forever you know, you'd just better hope I'm feeling generous after I escape."

Celestia didn't reply at first, still glaring at her enemy. Then she shook her head, not sadly, but with an air of stern finality. "I don't intend on leaving you there, Discord. I know you'd escape eventually, and the Elements have shown me how to bind you permanently."

Luna saw Discord's expression change at her sister's words, smug confidence replaced with caution. He glanced towards Luna, and though he said nothing his look only echoed what he had told her earlier. Celestia had been shown how to bind him, yet the Elements hadn't seen fit to share that knowledge with Luna. She told herself that it was because Celestia was older, wiser, better at magic, and for a moment, the young alicorn was filled with envy so strong that it frightened her. Then her sister's muzzle touched her ear lightly, and the feeling vanished.

"Luna, I'll need you to help me channel the Elements while I cast the spell. It needs both of us. Are you ready?" Looking up at Celestia, Luna nodded, and began to gather the magic of the Elements towards herself. Beside her, Celestia did the same, the stone orbs representing the Elements moving to circle around them, trailing strands of rainbow –coloured light.

To Luna's surprise, Discord didn't make any further attempt to escape, now watching them with a bored expression, as if he'd already accepted his inevitable defeat. "I will escape you know," he said with casual disregard. "And when I do, I really don't think I'll be feeling generous. Have fun ruling, Celestia." He shot a sly look towards Luna as he spoke the last words. For a moment, she almost lost concentration, knowing that it was a final dig aimed at her. She closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to see his smirk. When she opened them again, he was stone.

Beside her, Celestia lowered her head wearily, gasping for breath. "...that should hold him..." the older alicorn gasped. "Equestria won't have to dance to his tune any more."

Luna stared at the statue that had once been Discord, too shocked to reply at first. She'd never thought that her sister would actually turn him to stone. Mostly because she'd had no idea that her sister was capable of such a feat. "When do I get to learn that spell?" she asked eventually, tapping the stone talons of Discord's draconian foot with one hoof. It clunked.

"I hope you'll never have to, little sister." Celestia replied. "It's not an easy thing to do to someone, even someone like Discord."

"Oh." Although she said nothing else, Luna felt a surge of resentment just as powerful as the envy she'd felt earlier. Maybe Discord had been right after all. She pushed that thought to the back of her mind after a few moments, telling herself that it was just what Discord would have wanted her to think. However, it lurked there all the same, a seed of bitterness just waiting for the right conditions to grow.

And out in the dark spaces of the world where neither sunlight or moonlight could reach, something shifted and stirred, shaking off the torpor of uncounted centuries as it took interest in the young alicorn. There was potential here, and it had been waiting for a long, long time...


	2. Part 2:  Roots

**Disclaimers:** Everything belongs to Hasbro/Lauren Faust.

**Notes:** Shorter chapter this time, I'm afraid this one went on a long digression involving various ideas I have about the princesses' origins and why the Everfree Forest is the way it is. (seriously, Luna and Celestia must have lived there at one point, since they have a castle there and all...) I'll try to actually move the plot forward in the next chapter, honest. And yes, there are much worse things than Discord lurking in the shadows...

**Spoilers:** None, this is pretty much all in fanon territory now.

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><p><strong>Part 2 – Roots<strong>

Years passed. With Discord's defeat and imprisonment, life in Equestria had become harmonious and peaceful for all the different types of pony. The earth ponies built new settlements and farmed without having to worry about their hard work being destroyed at a whim. The pegasus ponies no longer had to fear their cloud homes being scattered across the sky by vagrant storms, and banded together to create their own city, Cloudsdale. The unicorns set up a school in Canterlot for teaching magic, something that Discord had long forbidden. And the two alicorn sisters ruled over them all, raising the sun and the moon, controlling the weather, and eradicating the last traces of Discord's chaos. All but the Everspring Forest, where the sisters' castle had been, and where they had finally imprisoned him for good.

The fight with Discord had destroyed large parts of the castle where they had once lived, where they had both been born, and though both Celestia and Luna had tried using their powers to rebuild it, it resisted them. It was as if the winds of magic had somehow been altered across the entire forest, everything within its borders, including the castle, paid no heed to the order the sisters had set over the rest of the land. Within the forest, the plants and trees grew with wild abandon, gleefully winding themselves around what was left of the castle. The weather seemed to have its own laws as well, raining when Equestria was dry, snowing in summer and sunny in the depths of winter. Only day and night remained the same.

The animals were worse. Those that would once have been happy to see the sisters now fled at their approach. And those creatures that had been favoured by Discord, the manticore, the cockatrice, the chimera, the sphinx, the lamia and others even stranger, lived there in abundance. For the first few years, both Luna and Celestia had kept a constant watch over the forest, expecting those creatures to attack nearby settlements. However, for the most part, they remained in the forest, and the occasional monster that did stray into Equestria was easily turned back. The forest was their domain, and they cared very little for what lay outside its borders. If the forest's behaviour and inhabitants had been part of a final curse from Discord, it seemed that it had very little purpose except to force the sisters from the castle that had once been their home.

From time to time Luna still visited what was left of the building, sometimes with her sister, but more often by herself. Celestia's time and attention had gradually being taken up more and more by managing the realm that was now theirs, now holding court in the new castle being built in Canterlot every day instead of once a week. That was why Luna was once again alone as she landed in the overgrown courtyard of their former home.

"_Because everypony takes their problems to her, not you," _the small voice inside her head whispered. _"They love her more."_

Luna ignored it. Ever since Discord's defeat, the doubts he had left her with seemed to whisper to her now and then, spiteful words about Celestia, about the ponies who all but worshipped her, about Luna's place in the new order she and her sister had created. But she knew that Discord had just wanted to trick her into letting him go and what he'd said to herhad only been intended to manipulate her.

"_Really? Then why was he right about so much of it?"_

With a slight shake of her head, Luna pushed that thought away, telling herself it was just unfounded jealousy. It wasn't like Celestia found holding court much fun anyway, Luna knew her sister would much rather be here with her instead of listening to ponies complain. Approaching the double doors to the Great Hall, Luna pushed one open. It was strange, somehow the doors had been spared the destruction that had befallen most of the castle, the wood still highly polished and the metal fixtures shining brightly, opening without the slightest resistance or sound.

Inside, the Hall was empty, what little furnishings that had survived the battle with Discord had already been moved to Canterlot. So had the stone form of Discord, while both sisters would have been happy to never lay eyes on it again, they had agreed that it was best kept somewhere that they could keep an eye on it, just in case. Moving through the empty rooms, Luna looked around carefully for anything she'd missed, just as she had every other time she'd visited her former home. There was nothing of course, she and Celestia had looked through the ruins thoroughly the first time, all that was here now were the memories of her fillyhood and dim recollections of the parents she barely remembered.

And to be honest with herself, Luna knew that those memories were the reason she kept coming back. In her minds' eye, the ruined corridors were long halls of shining marble that went on forever, echoing with laughter as she and Celestia chased each other down them. And there was a dark stallion, impossibly huge, who had thrown her into the air higher than the moon and caught her with magic. And a mare as bright as the sun who'd been warm and soft and comforting and when Luna had hidden under her wing she knew she was safe. But then they vanished from her memory like morning mist, and there was only Celestia. Celestia, and bedtime stories, and games in the courtyard, and learning to fly, and even though Celestia's wings didn't cover her like their mother's had, she'd still felt safe.

"_That was then." _It almost sounded like the voice was in pain, as if those memories hurt it somehow. "_Things change. Sisters change. She doesn't have time for you any more. Why else would you be here alone?"_

"She's just busy," Luna muttered to herself. For a moment, she wondered why she was speaking aloud, when there was nobody there to hear her.

"_Keep telling yourself that."_

"Fine, I will!" Luna snapped, then froze as she heard hoofsteps behind her.

"Luna? Who were you talking to?" Even in the dimness of the ruined castle, Celestia still seemed to carry a touch of the sun's light with her, and Luna ran to her.

_...and something else hissed angrily and recoiled, biding its time..._

"Nothing sis, I was just thinking out loud." Luna's jealous thoughts seemed silly now, and the young alicorn wasn't sure why she'd ever considered them to begin with. "Are you finished with court?"

"For today, yes." Celestia replied, looking around sadly at the castle ruins. "You need to be careful if you're coming here Luna, it's dangerous now."

"I know, but it's just... like it gets lonely." Luna said quietly. "Like it misses us. Are you sure we can't fix it up again?"

In response, Celestia lowered her horn towards a tumbledown wall. Slowly, reluctantly, the fallen stones pulled themselves up from the earth and reformed themselves into a complete structure. But the moment Celestia released them from her control, it toppled back into ruin. "Things are different here now, ever since we defeated Discord," she said mournfully. "It's like our magic only works while we focus on it, anything we change just goes back to the way it was afterwards. Discord must have done something to the forest, but I don't know what, so we can't fix it. The ponies have started calling it the Everfree Forest now, because everything here is wild."

Sighing, Luna leaned against her older sister. "Well I guess beating Discord was worth it though, right? I mean, everypony else is happy now..."

"That's right Luna." Celestia leaned down to nuzzle her sister's ears. "That's what Mother and Father would have said. We can't just think of ourselves, then we'd be just like Discord. We have to think of all the other ponies who live in Equestria too."

With a last look around herself, Luna turned back to her sister. "Do you want to go flying for a while before moonrise?" she asked. "I'd like to see how far the pegasus ponies have gotten with Cloudsdale."

"That sounds good to me," Celestia answered as they turned to leave. "Oh, and I haven't told you about what got raised in court today, this year the ponies in Canterlot want to hold a grand gala to mark the fifth anniversary of Discord's defeat. Sounds a little silly to me, but every pony seemed really enthusiastic about it."

Luna giggled as she trotted along beside her sister, the two of them taking to the air once they reached the courtyard. "It could be fun," she said as they rose higher into the sunset sky. "As long as it's not all formal and stuff."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Celestia admitted, then the two sisters vanished into the clouds.

_It followed them, hidden in the younger sister's shadow where it had a measure of protection from the elder sister's light, and both sisters' sight. It was still much, much too early to reveal itself._


	3. Part 3: Growth

**Disclaimers:** Everything belongs to Hasbro/Lauren Faust.

**Notes:** This took a little longer than I'd hoped, but at least it's longer than the last chapter. And for those wondering where the Weather Patrol is, well, they've not been invented yet. At this point, maintaining the weather is one of Celestia and Luna's resposibilities, along with the sun and moon yadda yadda. Obviously this changed later. Also, why can't I use asterisks to break up chapters any more? Why FFN? WHY?

**Spoilers:** None. Rolling in personal fanon/stuff I just handwaved now. ROLLING I SAY.

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><p><strong>Part 3 – Growth<strong>

"_You're not my sister," Celestia hissed, her eyes narrowed and blazing with fury. Far below them, tidal waves beat at the coasts of Equestria, even at this altitude Luna could hear the faint screams drifting up from the city below._

"_Celestia, please..." The younger alicorn's voice was pleading; all she wanted was for this madness to end. But Celestia didn't even seem to hear her._

"_I'll kill you for this, demon!" Rearing in midair, Celestia's golden-shod hooves lashed out towards Luna's face..._

...and the young alicorn woke with a start, still shivering with fear at the memory of the dream-Celestia's hate-filled expression. The pale golden light of dawn was streaming through the open windows; as the keeper of the night, Luna never shut it out with curtains. Rising from her bed, Luna moved across the room and stepped out onto the balcony. The sun was slowly rising into the sky, and she could see Celestia's graceful form silhouetted against it. She shuddered slightly as the image of her sister's rage-twisted face flashed in front of her eyes once more, but pushed it away. It had been a nightmare, nothing more.

_Or was it a warning of things to come?_

Hearing sounds of movement from the castle gate below, Luna leaned her front hooves on the edge of the balcony, and looked over. There were a long line of ponies waiting to get in, some pulling carts of food, others carrying rolls of fabric, folded tablecloths and banners. It was time for the Gala already? Luna supposed that she should have remembered, everypony was making such a fuss over it being the bicentennial of Discord's defeat, a whole two hundred years. It didn't seem that long to Luna, not nearly. She'd barely grown any taller, still small next to Celestia...

_...and not nearly as regal..._

...yet in that time she'd watched as the ponies who served them in the castle grew old, died, were replaced by younger ponies who in turn had grown old and died... it still unsettled her a little. Celestia had told her that it was different for alicorns, that their parents had ruled for thousands of years, that they'd only stopped ruling because... She frowned. Luna still wasn't entirely sure what had happened, Celestia had always been vague about it. All she could remember herself was her crying sister telling her that their parents had left, had it been to fight something? To stop something? Luna had always meant to ask Celestia about it, yet whenever they were alone together; it just seemed to slip her mind.

_In the darkness of Luna's shadow, something laughed softly. "Better you don't know, little princess," it murmured to itself. "It might put you on your guard."_

Of course, Celestia might not tell her anyway, that would be just like her. She would say that Luna wasn't old enough to understand, that it wasn't the right time, that it was time for her to go check on the sun or something, or she'd just order Luna to go back to her studies. Like Celestia was the one ruling, and Luna was just a subordinate like everypony else... She frowned again at the thought, for a moment, she had seemed to remember Celestia commanding her to go to the library and study, yet she was sure that had never actually happened.

_It cursed, reminding itself that this needed a delicate touch. The princess might have been young, but she wasn't stupid. Too much too quickly would just make her suspicious. Or worse, would make her go to her sister. It was enough that the little alicorn had come to accept its voice as her own thoughts, not even perceiving them as a separate voice any more. The rest would come in time._

...she must have just dreamed that. Though it probably was something Celestia would do, since she was so _busy _these days. Holding court, visiting settlements, listening to the reports from the Forest Guard who patrolled the Everfree Forest, the only time she even seemed to pay attention to Luna was when she came to ask her how her studies were going, like that was all she cared about. Well, that and making sure she was raising the moon _and_ the stars. All Celestia had to worry about was the stupid sun.

One night, Luna had even moved the stars to see if Celestia would notice. Unfortunately, she had, and had lectured Luna about responsibility for days afterwards. Luna hadn't seen what the big deal was, since it showed that she was definitely studying, all the constellations had been perfectly correct... just reversed. Apparently, it was a big thing to the unicorn astronomers though; complaints had come in for weeks afterwards. A brightly-coloured oriole had even brought a scroll signed with an oddly pointed hoofmark, which Luna couldn't understand, but Celestia had told her that it was an angry letter from the zebras far across the sea. However, rather than make Luna deal with all the angry ponies, Celestia had handled it herself, which Luna had been grateful for at the time.

_Why? She probably told them all that it was her stupid little sister's fault. The only reason she dealt with them is because she thinks you're an idiot and you'd just make things worse._

"That's not true," Luna muttered to herself. "It's not like I'm not allowed to attend court or anything, sometimes she even asks me to go!"

_Because she wants you to sit there all nice like a doll so everypony still thinks you're ruling together. Especially you. Don't forget that she's the one holding court. You're just there to watch._

Luna said nothing this time, tired of arguing with herself. Sometimes the resentment she often felt towards her sister made her feel terribly guilty. Sometimes it just made her feel vindicated. Sometimes it went away entirely, usually during the increasingly rare moments she got to share with Celestia, when it was just the two of them, just like it had been when they were little. Even in the chaos of Discord's reign, it had still seemed like Celestia had more time for her, but that had changed once they'd defeated him.

_No, it changed when you found those damn Elements..._

That much was true at least. When they'd discovered the hidden chamber deep beneath their old castle, and the Elements hidden within, Celestia had changed. All her worry about what Discord would do if he caught them working against him had vanished, replaced with a steely resolve that Luna had never seen in her sister before.

"_I'll kill you for this, demon!" Celestia screamed, her beautiful face twisted with rage and hatred_

The sound of hoofsteps behind her made Luna jump, then relax as a white wing settled over her shoulders.

"You're up early this morning." Celestia's voice was warm, not at all like Luna's dream. "Don't tell me it's because you're excited about the Gala..."

"Well, maybe it will be less terrible this year?" Luna replied with a slight giggle, leaning against her older sister even though something inside her recoiled at the contact. "As long as we don't have to spend all night greeting everypony again..."

"Unfortunately, that's not optional," her sister sighed. "It's expected of us, the Gala is in our honour after all, it's us that they've come to see."

"Yeah, but it would be better if we only had to talk to the interesting ones." Luna muttered. "Like the Forest Guard, they always have good stories..."

"I know, but it wouldn't be fair." Celestia reminded her. "We have to make time for everypony. Even the boring ones." Seeing the rebellious look on her sister's face, Celestia relented. "Well, I guess I could do the greeting if you want, then you can enjoy the Gala."

"Really? You don't mind? I don't have to wait with you?" Luna was delighted at the prospect, leaping up onto her back hooves excitedly as Celestia nodded. "Thanks 'Tia, this'll be so much better than last year's."

Celestia watched her sister prance, smiling at her enthusiasm. "I'm glad you're so excited. Just remember we need a nice bright night for the fireworks, I'll come help you clear the clouds after nightfall." Glancing down over the edge of the balcony, Celestia spread her wings. "I'd better go check on the preparations, I'll see you later Luna." Leaping over the balustrade, Celestia glided gracefully down to the ground.

It was as if the day had grown a little darker. Luna slowly came to a standstill as troubling thoughts slowly filtered back into her mind.

_Well of course she can do without you beside her. She'll be greeting everypony herself, so they'll all know who really rules Equestria. And if they even notice you're not there, nopony will care enough to ask where you are. You'll just be Celestia's sad little shadow, drifting around the ballroom._

With that thought, Luna leapt up onto the balustrade, about to follow her sister to tell her she'd changed her mind. But as she teetered on the edge of the marble, she reconsidered. It would be nice to see the Gala without being stuck greeting the attendees for most of the night, she could go to the garden to watch the nightflowers bloom, or she could talk to the Forest Guard, or just enjoy the music. Luna knew that Celestia wasn't trying to push her away; releasing her from her receiving duties was a favour, not a slight. She was sure of it.

_Are you? How long before she starts releasing you of other duties?_

"She would never..." Luna murmured, though a chill ran through her all the same. She shook it off defiantly. "Tonight's going to be the best Gala ever."

o.o.o.o.o

Later, Luna would always remember that it was.

She had raised the moon at precisely the right time, and it was perfectly full, a polished silver coin hanging high in the sky. The stars took a little more encouragement, as always the brightest ones were easiest but soon they were all springing into the sky like diamonds as they formed the familiar autumn constellations. Once, long ago it seemed, Celestia had told her that every star was a sun in its own right, just unimaginably far away. Luna had been much younger then, and Celestia had been helping her to call them out. The young alicorn had always found the moon much easier, even though she could feel it tugging at the tides as it rose and set.

_And all Celestia does is make things nice and bright..._

It was a thought she'd had more than once, but this time Luna ignored it. Moments later, Celestia joined her in the sky, and the two sisters set about clearing the clouds away, bathing the castle in bright moonlight. The white walls reflected it back into the sky, shining in the darkness just like Celestia.

_I'm sure everypony can see her up here. Not you though. You just blend in._

And looking at her sister, Luna knew that was right. Celestia was already taller than her, more graceful and elegant, but she told herself it was because Celestia was older, she'd be like that too one day. Nevertheless, she would never have Celestia's shining snowy coat, which made her sister look like white gold in the sunlight and bright silver in the moonlight. Luna's own gray-purple colouring made her an inky shadow during the day, and almost invisible from dusk until dawn. But that wasn't Celestia's fault either. It wasn't.

The two sisters landed on Celestia's balcony as the first fireworks were launched, lighting the night sky with rainbow sprays of colour. In the courtyard below the first guests were already arriving, though most had paused on the mountain road to watch the fireworks.

"Your Majesties?" Both alicorns turned around to see their steward, Castellan, standing a respectful distance away. The pale blue unicorn was carrying a pair of polished wooden boxes on his back, which didn't even wobble as he bowed. "My apologies for interrupting, but these were brought for you earlier." With a gesture of his horn, Castellan set the boxes down in front of the sisters, one marked with a sun, the other with a crescent moon. "They are from the artisans of Canterlot, gifts to mark this most auspicious celebration."

"We'll need to thank them later," Celestia said as she unfastened the latch on her box with a flick of her horn. Inside, nestled on a bed of red velvet, there lay a delicate golden tiara and a collar engraved with sunbursts and curling patterns. "Oh, how lovely..."

_Yours will be silver you know. Pretty, but not nearly as valuable. Figures._

However, when Luna opened her box, what was inside wasn't silver at all. The tiara and collar matched Celestia's, but instead of gold, they were dark glass, the same inky blue as the midnight sky. And glittering just below the surface were hundreds of tiny diamond chips, sparkling like the winter stars.

Castellan cleared his throat as Luna lifted the collar from its box with her magic, turning it this way and that in delighted fascination. "Princess Luna, the pony who gave me the boxes did assure me that the glass they use to make your gifts is magically treated when it is forged, they look delicate, but they will not break. She thought that might concern you."

Luna had already slipped the collar over her head, the glass cool against her coat as it settled at the base of her neck, fitting perfectly. The tiara likewise fit snugly between her ears, just behind her horn, even when she moved her head up and down it stayed in place. "I need a mirror!" Galloping into Celestia's chambers, Luna stopped in front of the full-length mirror by the dresser and examined her reflection.

The colour of the glass matched her cutie mark, she realised that immediately. The diamond chips sparkled as she moved, and when the light caught the edges of the glass just right they glowed deep cobalt blue. For once, her bitterness was silent, even as she saw Celestia reflected in the mirror as the older alicorn came to stand beside her, bright gold shimmering at her neck and brow.

"You look lovely, Luna." Celestia told her, nosing a few stray strands of her sister's mane back into place. "Let's go down together, once we open the Gala you can do what you like."

"Okay," Luna agreed, and the two of them left the room together, followed by Castellan.

"_Together," it sneered to itself, unheard by either sister as it rode in the shadows behind them. "For now maybe. Enjoy it while you can."_


End file.
